MONROE, Mich. – A man imprisoned for life for killing a woman after a 2014 Halloween party in southeastern Michigan and stashing her body in the woods has been sentenced in the 2016 sexual assault of another woman.
A judge exceeded the sentencing guidelines Thursday for 28-year-old Daniel Clay, ordering him to serve 40 to 75 years in prison. Clay asked the judge to sentence him within the guidelines of at least 18½ to 39 years.
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The sentence would keep Clay behind bars if an appeal of his conviction in the slaying of 22-year-old Chelsea Bruck is successful. A jury earlier convicted him of first-degree murder in Bruck's October 2014 beating death. Her body was found six months later.
The assault happened before Clay was charged in Bruck's death.
Timeline of events in Chelsea Bruck murder
Oct. 26, 2014: Chelsea Bruck vanishes from Halloween party in Monroe County
Bruck went missing on a Saturday night during a party on Post Road in Frenchtown Township. She was last seen wearing a Poison Ivy costume consisting of black pants and a leaf-covered top.
Oct. 29, 2014: Bruck's family, friends continue search
Nov. 2, 2014: Chelsea Bruck case: Police search for guards
Police searched for the security guards who were hired for the party.
Nov. 4, 2014: More info sought from party goers about missing Chelsea Bruck
Nov. 12, 2014: Reward now $5,000 in Chelsea Bruck case
Nov. 17, 2014: Chelsea Bruck's family appeals for help
Nov. 24, 2014: Reward grows to more than $17,000 in case of missing Chelsea Bruck
March 19, 2015: Authorities search Michigan game area for missing Chelsea Bruck
Dozens of law enforcement officers searched Pointe Mouillee Game Area in southeastern Michigan amid an effort to find Bruck.
April 5, 2015: New clue in missing Chelsea Bruck case
Police said they found what they believed to be a portion of Bruck's costume in the area of Peters Road and Vreeland in Flat Rock.
April 6, 2015: Helicopter, K9 search for Chelsea Bruck in Flat Rock
April 8, 2015: Family of missing Monroe County woman awaits information from police
April 24, 2015: Construction workers find body in rural Monroe County
Construction workers found the body around 2 p.m. Friday in a wooded area near train tracks in the village of Carleton. Officers from the Michigan State Police Crime Lab and Monroe County Sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene.
The construction crew was doing excavation work on a piece of property where a man is planning to build a house. The crew discovered the body while checking on a piece of equipment, police said.
April 25, 2015: Remains found in Monroe County identified as Chelsea Bruck
Dental records were used to confirm the remains belonged to Bruck, and investigators Saturday said evidence at the scene indicated a homicide.
April 22, 2016: Man denies seeing her, then says he accidentally killed her during sex
June 9, 2016: Witness comes forward after pictures released in connection to Chelsea Bruck case
After the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office released photos of a person who was at the party and may have had information, the witness made contact with authorities.
July 22, 2016: Monroe County Sheriff: 27-year-old Newport man in custody in Chelsea Bruck case
After an exhaustive investigation over nearly two years, a 27-year-old Newport man was taken into custody.
July 25, 2016: Suspect in Chelsea Bruck slaying: 'I don't want a bond'
At Daniel Clay's arraignment, he told the judge he didn't want a bond.
Nov. 2, 2016: 15 witnesses testify in Chelsea Bruck murder case
Fifteen witnesses testified during a preliminary hearing for Daniel Clay.
May 16, 2017: Jury finds Daniel Clay guilty of felony murder, concealing body in Chelsea Bruck murder case
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